Family
by Jimmy the Gothic Egg
Summary: Snapshots of the mundane little life of Mr and Mrs Logan. Then again, it'd probably be more mundane if they weren't raising two superpowered kids. [I'm not dead yet!]
1. Waiting

_Family _

**Waiting**

She had been patient...  
She'd waited for over half a year...  
(Like three-fourths of it...)  
And it had been painful...  
(Painfully so.)  
It had been incredibly annoying...  
(Especially with the mood changes. She couldn't go near anyone for a week.)  
But maybe it had been worth it...  
(Just a little.)  
Raven stared down at the child in her arms. It seemed so small and fragile. Veins ran through its tiny arms like a map, and she stopped breathing for a moment so he wouldn't.  
"Was it worth it?" Beast Boy asked as he wrapped her arms around her waist.  
She held the child closer to her chest, wondering how on earth she'd been able to create it. His wide green eyes opened and his hand reached to grab her hair, yanking softly. She smiled.  
"You mean the pain, the stress, and the incredibly long wait?"  
"Nine months," Beast Boy stated, "Plus he was a week late."  
"Yeah," she sighed happily, "It was definitely worth it."


	2. Giggle

_Family _

**Giggle**

"Gar!"  
He groaned as he heard her ferverant whisper. Rolling over, he turned to their alarm clock.  
"It's three in the morning, Raven. What could possibly be so exciting?"  
She turned to him, cradling the child (who'd been named Mark, a tribute to Gar's father) in her arms and smiling. She sat down on the edge of the bed, turning so he could see.  
"Yes, it's a child. I thought you might've noticed by-"  
He stopped. For a moment, he thought he might've heard the smallest sound, a bit like a gurgle, but so...  
"Did you hear it?" she asked excitedly, joy rising in her voice.  
The sound again, less like a gurgle and more like a giggle.  
"Is he laughing?" he asked, putting a finger to his son's nose and watching the glee light upon his face.  
Mark giggled again, grabbing the finger with his tiny hands and yanking.  
They sat there for a moment as their child squirmed playfully.  
Three a.m. in the morning and it was one of the happiest moments in their life.


	3. Irresistible

_Family_

**Irresistible **

"Gar!"  
He cringed. He'd wondered when Raven would get home and find out about what he'd done. It was fairly obvious.  
She stormed into the kitchen where he'd been working on dinner.  
"What the hell?" she shouted quietly so Mark couldn't hear them. "I give you something to do and you run off and-and-"  
She couldn't finish. He laughed. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself and flicked her wrist, grabbing him in her powers and pulling him closer.  
"What did I tell you about taking him out?"  
He stared at her for a moment before answering in a meek voice, "Not to buy anything."  
"And what did you do?"  
"Buy him a gaint playset that takes up half his room."  
"Are your four years old or something!"  
"No, but he is."  
She sighed and released him. "What happened?"  
"You've seen his puppy dog eyes! How could I resist!"  
"I guess this explains why he's bouncing off the wall..."  
"...I only gave him one peice of candy..." He flinched under her gaze, "Okay... Maybe ten peices. But how can you resist it when he does the puppy dog eyes!"  
"What did I tell you about the puppy dog eyes?"  
"... To look away and not give in."  
"And what did you do?"  
"...Gave in."  
"Just... tell him to put the obstruction away so he can settle down. I think he starting crashing his cars together. I swear he's going to be a little monster when he grows up."  
"Nah," Gar pecked her lips softly, "He'll probably take after me."  
She blinked and stared at him before cracking a smile. "Let's hope we don't have to go through that. I have enough problems with you around."


	4. Desperate

**Desperate**

Raven set down the laundry basket she was holding. There was an odd sound coming from the room beside hers, like a struggle going on. Deciding to ignore it while she could, she placed the final clothes in the basket and peered next door.

It was like a battle field. Toys were strewn about, food was spilt all over the carpet and walls, and two figures, one in a high chair, the other standing, were struggling against each other.

Somehow she wasn't surprised the two had made such a mess. Put Gar in a room alone for long enough, and he'll make a mess twice this.

Gar was trying to yank something out of the child's hands. He had a desperate look on his face; Mark wore something more belligerent.

"What's going on?" she asked sternly.

Gar jumped back, and Mark claimed his prize with a triumphant squeal.

"N-nothing," her husband said quickly.

She shed him a sarcastic smile and lifted her hand. Whatever Mark had clutched to was absorbed in her aura and carried back to her. He let out a horrified cry.

"What's this?" she asked, holding up a beaded necklace with a raven hanging on the end.

"Th-that?" Gar said even more quickly, attempting to snatch it out of her hands, "I-I dunno. I just sorta... found it."

"You're lying," she said jokingly and handed the necklace back to him.

"I might be. Doesn't mean you should be suspicious or anything."

"Neckwace!" Mark cried loudly, slamming his fists against the table, "Raven neckwace!"

Raven glanced at Gar with her grin still on her face. "Well if it's nothing, maybe you should let him have it. He'd like it."

Gar had worked himself into a corner. "Fine. I was gonna give it to you for your birthday. Thought you might like it."

"Aw, but he likes it more," she took the necklace from his hands and kissed him tenderly. Behind them, Mark made a gagging noise before continuing on with his chanting.

"You can buy me something else," she said and placed the necklace around Mark's neck. "He looks cuter in it."

"Fine," Gar grinned, "But don't expect something big for your birthday."

She picked up the laundry and shook her head.


	5. Nap

_Family _

**Nap**

"Why did we ever decide to have two of them?" Raven asked Gar as she grabbed the weeping child up and began bouncing her.  
"I don't know, but it was fun making them." He gave her a grin. She returned it sarcastically.  
"For you maybe."  
Gar laughed and picked up Mark. "Who's ready for a nap!" he called out enthusiastically as if expecting the children to cheer with excitement. Instead, Brenna wailed louder, and Mark attempted to free himself from his father's grip.  
"Fun," Raven muttered. "If we could just get her to stop crying..."  
"Trade ya," Gar said. She sighed and handed the child to him, taking Mark from his hands. The five-year-old gave a cry of glee and nestled himself in her arms.  
"Why does he like you more than me?" Gar asked jokingly, placing a finger on Brenna's nose to distract her.  
"I have no idea."  
Raven sat the child on the couch and wrapped a blanket around him. He looked eerily like a male version of her, only smaller, with the black blanket like a cape and his purple hair resting in the same to stubborn strands around his face.  
"You like children," Gar said as he attempted to get Brenna settled in her crib, "Why else would you have so many of them?"  
"Two," she stated, "is not 'many.'"  
"So how many's 'many?'"  
"Three or four." She turned to him quickly, cutting him a glare, "And I'm not having that many. Two is enough."  
Gar grinned and Brenna let out a gurgling laugh. "We'll have to be more careful next time."  
Raven smiled to herself as silence filled the household.


	6. Official

_Family _

**Official**

Raven sat Mark up on the counter and held out her hand, allowing a bottle of peanut butter to fly into it. Mark found this amusing and held out his hand, waiting for something to fly into it. The light fixture began to move in his direction, but Raven caught on quickly, picking him up quickly and told him to play with the necklace he had long since stolen. He nodded and cupped his hands around it, laughing as the dark aura surrounded it and it floated.  
Raven sighed in relief and turned back to the sandwiches she was making. She paused as she dipped the knife into the peanut butter and looked up.  
"Where's your sist-"  
She had no time to finish as what resembled a cross between a reptile and a large cat jumped down, baring its teeth and growling with pleasure. Raven instantly grabbed Mark and jumped back, her eyes wide and her stance ready to fight.  
Then she caught sight of Gar and frowned, setting Mark down and picking up the animal. It reverted back to its normal form, a small girl with vibrant green hair, in her arms.  
"Sorry," Gar said as he took the child out of her arms, "Couldn't resist. She's a good shape-shifter, isn't she?"  
Brenna clapped her hands excitedly.  
"Right," Raven turned back to the sandwiches, "It's official, Gar. We're having no more children."


	7. No Title

_Family_

**No Title**

Flip.  
Silence.  
Flip.  
A breath.  
Flip.  
Sip. Another breath.  
Flip.  
Silence. Shiver.  
"Damn."  
Slam.  
Raven sat up, the blanket she had wrapped herself in. For one moment it had been quiet, and for one moment she had thought she could relax. But the silence was worse than the noise, worse than anything her family could've thrown at her. Where the hell were they, she wondered, irritated that they would leave everything so... quiet.  
Bang.  
She glanced up, gazing around. What the hell had that been?  
Another band, louder this time. Outside. Growling, she stormed to the front door, throwing it open.  
Smack.  
A snowball landed her fully in the face.  
Blink.  
A sheepish husband looked at her, hunching himself over, hoping she wouldn't notice he was the one to throw it. Two small children, Mark and Brenna, ooooo-ing at their father.  
Blink.  
She stepped forward, fully aware of the cold seeping through her pajama top, not suited for the outside cold. Another step, careful. It was like approaching an animal. Don't scare it off. Don't let it know you're about to kill it.  
Garfield stepped back, cautious now. A hunter and his (her) prey, he being the latter. He was in for it now.  
Another step. Pounce. She flew at him, catching his shoulder and knocking him down. She landed on top of him, straddling him. Slowly she leaned down, an evil smile gracing her lips. He was dead now, killed by his wife on this most jolly of days (not really, but newspapers played up everything these days.)  
Her lips grazed his cheek, teeth snared. She was going to rip out his throat, he decided, and tear apart his body with her teeth...  
She did none of this. She simply pulled back, her long violet hair pulled to one side and streaming down like a waterfall, and climbed off him. With a devilish smile, she waved to the children and stepped back inside, grateful to be out of the cold.  
Gar was confused. Besides completely arousing him, what had she done?  
His eyes grew wide and he grinned. Motioning for the children to stay in their front lawn where they could be seen, he stepped inside the house and closed the door, instantly grabbed by his wife.  
The children outside were confused but ignored it, returning to their snow fights.  
----  
An unofficial installment of the Family series. Yay!


	8. Lullaby

_Family_

**Lullaby**

A note.  
She hummed it carefully, position the tired child in her arms to make her and herself comfortable.  
There were no words to the song. She'd learned it a long, long time ago. Azar had sung it to her, humming the notes in the most beautiful of fashion. She'd picked it up, hidden in the back of her memory.  
The second child, resting in his father's lap looked at her with curious

eyes. She smiled, humming the note again, continuing with the song. Note after note, pitch after pitch, rising and falling like the small waves of the ocean.  
Images passed over the childrens' eyes, a dream but not one. A faerieland, a neverland, a land of their own, and slowly their eyes drooped in a peaceful sleep.  
She smiled and closed her eyes.  
----  
An Azarathian faerie tale, all. Hope you like it.


	9. Ignore

_Family_

**Ignore**

She was ignoring him for a reason. The problem was, he wasn't quite sure what that reason was.  
He thought:  
Last night he had done nothing. (Well, not nothing, but not anything that would cause her to be angry with him. She had seemed quite willing.)  
At dinner he'd done nothing. They played the good family routine and sat around the table, eating and talking about each other's day. The children would sit (grown up, almost, at ages eight and four) and play with their food as he would teach them to make mashed potatoes volcanoes and she would laugh as gravy-lava streamed down the plate and onto the table.  
At lunch she'd called him (he'd been working his considerably ugh job) with exciting news about Kori and Rich (their own little ones were growing up so fast.)  
Before he'd left for work they'd been considerably warm towards each other.  
At breakfast the same 'good family' routine, this time with complaints of going to school (and a few about going to work.)  
He couldn't remember anything past that. So what exactly had he done to make her ignore him.  
(He remembered dates well enough, so nothing about that...)  
She turned to him, her lips turned down in a frown, her eyes not happy.  
"Something the matter?" he asked, hoping for an answer.  
She shook her head.  
"It's nothing," she murmured, not meeting his eyes.  
"Something's wrong," he pressed.  
Children ran by then, screaming for their sibling to leave them alone. She patted Mark on the head, chiding him for being mean to his little sister, than Brenna for being whiney about it.  
She turned back to him, kissing him softly on the cheek.  
"I'll tell you later," she murmured into his ear, a smile on her face.  
He grinned.  
As long as she wasn't ignoring him.


	10. Linger

_Family_

**Linger**

Raven lingered over the coffee a moment as she stared through the small window that seperated the kitchen and the giant table they sat at. Starfire-Kori- had her head hung sadly on the table, her auburn hair around her in sickly clumps.  
She entered the kitchen, setting the mug down beside her, and petting her hair.  
"Star," she murmured, "Have you told Richard?"  
A small motion that looked a bit like a shake of the head. She sat down.  
"Maybe... it's not that bad... You have two others..."  
Instantly she realized that was the wrong thing to say. Kori shot up, her eyes glowing dangerously.  
"It was still my child," she growled, "And it does not matter how many I already had."  
"Sorry," Raven held up her hands defensively and pushed the coffee mug towards her. "I just... don't know exactly what to say."  
Kori sighed sadly, returning to her early position. Tamaranians were strong, but emotionally crippled. With the inability to hide her emotions, there was a good chance Kori was ready to break down.  
"...Sweetie," Raven tried, patting her head again, "If you talked to your husband instead of me, you might feel better. He thinks you're expecting, but you're not... not anymore..."  
Kori lifted herself, pushing back her messy hair. "It won't help if I break down during dinner, I suppose." A dry laugh, more like a cough.  
"You're alright, though?" Raven asked.  
"I'll be... better," she tried, "Perhaps not completely alright. But I am still in healthy condition. I think, if you wouldn't mind, I could spend the day here... with my friend?"  
Raven smiled.

-----

Crap. An arc. That sucks. How did that happen?


	11. Naked

_Family_

**Naked**

Gar nibbled Raven's neck, and she moaned in a mix of pleasure and unhappiness. She curled closer to him, pressing her naked body closer to his. They had spent the night together after she'd told him about Kori's misfortune.  
"It's still eating at you?" he murmured into her flesh.  
She nodded, positioning herself more carefully. She kissed him carefully, pressing her bare breasts against his.  
"I love you," she whispered.  
He smiled, nudging her neck carefully. "I love you too."  
They sunk down into the bed together, spending the rest of the night swimming in their moans.  
◦◦◦  
Close enough to an ending. I went a bit over the time limit because I got a bit distracted (I'm watching Indiana Jones.) So... Yay. I can put to rest the story arc and get on with my life.


	12. Imbriglio

_Family_

**Imbroglio**

There was screaming.  
Loud, obnoxious screaming.  
"..."Raven stood up, and moved towards the screaming.  
"Gar?" she called. "What's going..."  
There was more screaming.  
Brenna and Mark were lying on the floor, kicking and screaming around one Garfield.  
Raven rubbed her forehead.  
"What is going on?"  
Gar lifted his head, a desperate look on his face. "I have no idea."  
Raven sighed and picked up Mark, who screamed louder and kicked harder.  
"What happened?" she asked calmly. He screamed louder.  
Brenna noticed that Mark was getting extra attention and joined in the higher pitch, twisting herself on the floor. Gar reached over to quiet her, but she squirmed away.  
Raven stared at the two children, then at her husband, and decided to use a trick she'd learned worked well when calming screaming children (or a hyper-active Gar.)  
The room filled with the aura of death as Raven's body glowed with a dark aura, her hair lifting up and twisting around her like snakes.  
"**_What is going on?_**"  
Everyone froze.  
Mark started to giggle.  
Brenna joined in.  
Screaming had turned to laughing.  
Raven sighed and picked Mark up; Gar did the same with Brenna.  
"Why did we have kids again?" she asked.  
He shook his head. "I forget."

**Authoress Notes:**

I was lacking in any form of update last week (I tried.) Then I realized I never updated _Family_ last week either. My apologies. I'm going to be doing a few Valentine's Day fics for various animes/shows, so that'll happen this week. Once again, I apologize. Make me feel less guilty with a review. Bring chocolate.


	13. Innocent

_Family_

**Innocent**

Raven stared at the floor in horror. Broken glass littered the carpet and two small children stared up at her with innocent eyes.  
"...What... happened?"  
Brenna stepped back, filled her lungs with air, and belted out: "MARK DID IT!"  
"Nuh-uh!" he shouted in return, "It was Brenna!"  
Raven stared at both of them with an exasperated look.  
"Will you tell me what happened?"  
Both paused. There was no yelling. Their mother got angry easily (they'd learned this from watching their father) but here she was being quiet.  
Every child knows when their parents aren't angry like they should be, something could be wrong.  
"...Brenna pushed me..."  
"...Mark tripped me..."  
"...And we knocked over the vase."  
Raven sighed and held out her hand. The peices lifted up and settled on the table where the vase once stood.  
"Do you know where your father is?"  
They nodded.  
"Can you go get him and tell him that the vase holding the three thousand year old demon broke?"  
Their eyes went wide, and they quickly ran off.  
Raven groaned.  
She really needed to put those old demon-housing breakables somewhere safe.  
----  
I don't know why she has demon-housing stuffs.  
Damn, this took forever to write. I got distracted. I was watching XPlay, then my contancts went weird, then my dad came home and I had to pretend I was working on homework, then I had to go look up Jupiter myths. I still haven't found any. Plus I'm working on two different V-Day stories at once.


	14. Perfect

_Family_

**Perfect**

Brenna and Mark were hiding.  
Not necessarily -hiding-, but close enough. Their parents had sent them to their room with little explanation. Their father had looked angry, their mother angrier. For a while they thought they'd actually -done- something, but once they listened through their door, they'd realized it wasn't something -they'd- done but something one of their parents had done.  
So they listened through the door, trying to figure out what was going on. They cracked it open a bit and heard their mother shouting, and for once they'd learned their father could be much louder. Words were spoken that they realized never to repeat. They cringed as they heard furniture moving (their mother's powers acting up, most likely.)  
And they listened...  
...For a good hour...  
...Maybe two...  
After a while the noise quieted, and they peeked their head outs. It was quiet, which normally happened after a fight, but they'd never heard such a -loud- fight before.  
They skittered to their parent's room in search of some sort of aftermath. They cracked open the door, peeking through.  
Their father was lying on the bed, their mother's upper half across his. They smiled and pushed through, climbing up into the bed. Their parents' eyes fluttered open for a moment and they pulled the children closer. Whatever they'd been fighting about, it was over now and forgotten.  
They may not be the perfect family, but they were the next best thing.  
---  
I wanted to have a fight between Gar and Raven. --


	15. Collapse

_Family_

**Collapse**

Raven collapsed onto the bed with a relieved sigh.

"Tired?"

She had no energy to move, but she managed a weary "Yes."

Gar leaned over her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Children are asleep."

A barely recognizeable nod.

"The house is quiet."

A murmur of approval.

He lifted her up and settled her in his lap. She let out a soft moan.

"Are you going to let me sleep?"

"No."

She really didn't mind.

----

A cute moment between Gar and Rae-Rae.

((Had to retype it. They wouldn't let me post for some reason.))


	16. Curtain

_Family_

**Curtain**

Raven groaned in pain, steadying herself against the wall.

(She'd been feeling sick all day.)

She wondered if she was going to be sick all over the floor.

(Just last week it'd taken abuse from a child who'd eaten too much sugar.)

Her hand touched cloth then glass and she jumped.

(A window, she sighed.)

('I'm so paranoid.')

She gripped the curtain for support for a moment, letting the pain pass.

(Pain was not good.)

It was receding.

(Thankfully.)

She sighed in releif.

('Thank God.')

Then...

(Like the wind had been knocked out of her.)

She stumbled, still gripping the curtain.

('Ow...')

She fell back.

(Maybe it ripped.)

And the curtain fell with her.

----

Dark. Damn it! I've started another arc. Oh well.


	17. Unforgiveable

_Family_

**Unforgiveable**

"Mom!"  
I look up, my eyes bleary. Brenna stands before me, holding out a broken doll.  
"Mark broke it," she whines, "And he won't say sorry."  
I smile and bend down beside her, taking the doll from her hands. "It's fine. We'll be able to fix it."  
She pouts, crossing her arm. "I still won't forgive him."  
I brush back her hair and kiss her forehead. "He's still your brother, and you need to learn to get around stupid things like this."  
She gives me this look as if she doesn't believe me, but I stand.  
"Let's get this thing fixed," I murmur.  
She narrows her eyes and mutters something about her brother that I choose to ignore."  
My vision blurs for a moment, and I hear a cry.  
Black.  
---  
The continuation of the Family series, through Raven's POV. She's remembering something. It's a kind of flashback.


	18. Embrace

_Family_

**Embrace**

Raven opened her eyes carefully.

"Rae?"

She groaned, turning to see who was talking. Gar's face filled her vision.

"Oh god, Rae!"

He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, and she blinked quickly, unsure of what was going on.

"What...?" she murmured. "Gar?"

"We found you passed out on the floor," he said, kissing her softly. "We were so worried."

"Where are...?"

"They're fine. Don't worry. Starfire's taking care of Brenna and Mark."

"Oh... What am I doing here?"

"The doctors are making sure you're okay. We still aren't sure what's wrong, but I think..."

He pressed a hand to her forehead, fingers tangling with messy hair.

"...You've had problems in your head before."

"Thanks. That doesn't make me sound crazy."

He smiled, hugging her closer. "You're okay now, right?"

"I think so."

They hoped so.

-------

A bad ending, but I think I ran out of time.

Does that conclude the arc, or do I need to add another one? You tell m e.


	19. Comfort

_Family_

**Comfort**

There was chaos.

The children screamed. Mark had poked something at Brenna and she had used her finger paints to paint his hair blue. ("It's already purple! Now it's prettier!")

Gar was in the middle of the mess, trying not to get Brenna's rainbow-colored fingers on his shirt while Mark threw things across the room. ("Using his powers! What am I supposed to do?") They'd all managed to hit him.

Raven sighed happily as she stepped in to be the mother.

It was comforting.

**Notes:**

I'd missed a bunch, and they went on hiatus. So I'm going through the ones I'd missed and updating. Be happy.


	20. Gasp

_Family_

**Gasp**

Raven almost gasped as she tried to pick up her son.

"When did you get so big?"

It was true. Mark, ten years of age (how old did that make her?), had grown. She just needed to figure out when that happened.

Brenna was the same. Six years and three times as big as she had been as an infant. She had learned like her brother, but she was more like her father, and didn't learn all too well.

And she didn't even have time to gasp as life moved by.


	21. Slaughter

No one said I had updated this story. So I'm uploading it again, just to see.

_Family_

**Slaughter**

Sometimes, when Raven and Garfield Logan left the house, they became Raven and Beast Boy of the Teen Titans. There were some days, when this was fine and dandy and no one really minded to go out of their way to stop a bank robber or an evil genius. If it took all day, it was a simple matter to call the babysitter.

There were some days when it was not so grand.

They walked in, almost midnight, completely beat but not quite ready to go to sleep with the images in their heads, and they were greeted by the sight of a darkened room, the TV on, and two small forms huddled in front of it. Mark and Brenna looked up as their parents entered, running to greet them.

They cried. They had been worried. Raven and Gar shushed them, picking them up and carrying them to their rooms.

It was not always so bad.

---

It's been a while. The actual was not used, but implied, so I figure that's okay.

Latest installment of the Family series. I guess I should write something that isn't.


	22. Beauty

_Family_

**Beauty**

It was bound to happen, Raven knew, but she still wasn't ready when it did.  
When little Mark came home from school, his eyes bright and shining as he recounted the events of the day. Raven listened with a smile until he got to the part about this pretty little girl he sat next to during class.  
She told her husband that night, "I think he's in love."  
Gar grinned, sliding over her and kissing her hair. "He's got a girlfriend. It's about time."  
"I've met her," she said, rubbing his shoulders. "She's very cute. A beauty."  
He laughed. "He's growing up. You're such a mother."  
She let out her own chuckle, closing her eyes as he buried his face into the pillow beside her head. "I might be. I blame you for that."  
He cupped her face in his hand, kissing her deeply. "I bet she's not as beautiful as you."  
"I remember you when you courted me," she laughed again, wrapping herself around him.  
"'Courted?'" he coughed.  
"Yes, and let's hope he's nothing like you."


	23. Heritage

_Family_

**Heritage**

Cyborg was left with babysitting.

(-Vic- was left with babysitting, but why nitpick.)

Why he was left with babysitting was a story he wasn't ready to get into (mostly because it involved an awful lot of nausia and shame.) Now he had two bouncing mini-heroes that resembled Rae and Gar in more than just appearance.

(He wondered where they got it from.)

Yes, little Mark was screaming at the top of his lungs as his toys exploded around him, and little tiger-Brenna (which looked less like a tiger and more like a lizard with fur, not to mention she was more of a cub than a full grown beast) was sitting silently, glaring him down with bared teeth.

(Kind of like being back in the Tower, except he was getting colors confused.)

(He really hoped this time it wouldn't end with someone being thrown out a window.)

(He hoped.)

---

Because my friend wondered where he was.


	24. Break

_Family_

**Break**

There was a break from work, a break from school, and a break from life, so they headed to the fair.

Two bouncing children held by two smiling parents gazing in wonder at every little thing they saw. The balloon animal was just as magical as the rides or the shows or the cotton candies they got to hold in their hand and laugh as it disappeared in their mouth.

("Remember when Kori was like this?" "Half as big, twice as hyper.")

They sampled everything, bright faces laughing, ending with weary adults who were just ready to go home.

It was a wonderful day.


	25. Meow

It's been a while…

_Family_

**Meow**

"Watch this," Gar said, proudly displaying their daughter happily. Raven closed her eyes, trying not to make a face. The little demon-animals Brenna made weren't as cute as Gar liked to think they were.  
Surprisingly, what Brenna turned into was absolutely adorable.  
The small, comically big-headed kitten was staring up at her, eyes bright and shining.  
"You taught our daughter The Face," she said, shaking her head.  
Gar thought a moment. "Guess there's no saying no to her anymore."


	26. Power

_Family_

**Power**

Mark rocked back and forth on his heels, making a face at the attention his sister was getting. He pulled in a huge breath and said at the top of his voice:  
"LOOK AT ME!"  
Time stopped, furniture rocked, the entire world shook. Then everything went back to normal, and his parents were staring at him. He beamed.  
"Ha!" Raven grinned, pumping a hand in the air.  
Gar just pouted, while Mark just smiled.


	27. Nightmare

_Family_

**Nightmare**

'Mommy... I had a bad dream."  
Raven gathered her son in her arms, shushing him. "It's alright," she whispered. "Let's put you back to bed."  
He nodded, cuddling against her. "It was horrible."  
"I bet you won't remember it in the morning," she reassured him.  
He muttered something, but it was lost in new found sleep.  
She pushed his hair back and laid him down, humming the reminants of a lullabye.  
All that was left was the soft breath of a sleeping child.


	28. Kill

_Family_

**Kill**

"Mommy," Brenna asked, climbing into her mother's lap. Mark followed suit with his father. "Why do people kill?"  
Raven and Gar exchanged glances.  
"Sometimes," Gar said, "Things go wrong."


	29. Mercy

_Family_

**Mercy**

Gar called mercy.  
"Raven," he whined, "Make our daughter stop looking at me."  
The Face was proving a mistake after all.


	30. Jump

_Family_

**Jump**

Raven jumped as her children came bursting in, excitement obvious.  
"Summer vacation," Gar answered her unspoken question, and she nodded.  
"Looks like it'll be a loud two months."


	31. Spangled

_Family_

**Spangled**

"Hey dad," Mark held up his book. "What does spangled mean?"  
"..." Gar thought some. "..." He thought some more. "..."  
"Dad?"  
Well, there was the answer to everything:  
"Go ask your mother."


	32. Love

_Family_

**Love**

The children were talking again.  
"I love mashed potatoes."  
"I love donuts."  
"I love cake."  
"I love chips."  
"I love cookies."  
"I love soda."  
"I love video games."  
"I love TV."  
"I love the written word."  
"I love proper grammar."  
"..."  
"..."  
"Mom?" Brenna turned. "Why did you ask us to say that?"  
She smiled. "I'm running out of hope again."


	33. Hope

_Family_

**Hope**

"Mommy, why is the sky blue?"  
Because it makes the world a better place.  
"Daddy, why is water wet?"  
Because it isn't dry.  
"Why does the sun go away at night?"  
Because it's afraid of the dark.  
"Why do birds fly?"  
Because they're all the hope we've got left.


	34. Sword

_Family_

**Sword**

"Summer..." Raven sighed.  
"Warm, sunny..." Gar agreed.  
"Children playing..."  
"Laughing..."  
Raven leaned against him and shook her head.  
"What a rip-off."


End file.
